Such guide elements can be used for example in bottle handling machines, and are referred to hereinafter as bottle guide curves or bottle guide stars. Bottle handling machines can comprise fillers, cappers, labellers or the like, which convey bottles rotating, for example. The bottle guide curves exhibit partial guide elements, i.e. for example a neck guide element and an interchangeable element. The neck guide element can also be referred to as neck guide curve or neck guide star and the interchangeable element as replaceable guide star plate. The guide elements as a group are also frequently referred to as ‘format parts’ because they must be provided depending on the bottle format.
The bottle guide curves are each realised to match particular bottle diameters and bottle heights. The at least one connecting element or plurality of connecting elements is provided to ensure a certain distance—which is adapted accordingly to the bottle and/or bottle series that is to be handled—of the one partial guide element to the other partial guide element. The connecting elements are connected to the neck guide element on the one hand and to the replaceable star plate on the other. A screw connection is usually provided for this purpose, which means that the interspaced partial guide elements are interconnected by the connecting elements in a form-fit manner.
A bottle handling machine can handle multiple bottles which can exhibit different heights or also different diameters, for example in their belly region. Of course the bottle handling machines usually handle series of bottles having the same dimensions. When changing over to a new bottle series having the said different dimensions, the bottle partial guide elements must be adapted to the new dimensions. This is usually effected by an exchange of the partial guide elements concerned, preferentially the replaceable star plate.
As described hereinbefore however, the latter is connected by way of the connecting elements to the neck guide element in a form-fit manner, that is to say by screw-fitting. To effect the exchange therefore the screw connections concerned must be undone, which at present necessitates the use of a tool. Undoing each individual screw connection is very time-consuming and so has an adverse effect on the availability of the bottle handling machine. The existing replaceable star plate must also be exchanged for a replaceable star plate that matches the new dimensions of the bottle series, so that the substantial amount of time needed to establish the screw connections is involved. In this respect a considerable amount of time is needed for the changeover, which not only incurs enormous personnel costs but also shuts down the bottle handling machine, with the result that production, e.g. bottle filling or labelling and all upstream or downstream steps, is suspended.
From U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,528 B is known an improved embodiment wherein a stem-like element arranged on the upper bottle partial guide element can be introduced into an annular locking element attached to the lower bottle partial guide element. The upper bottle partial guide element can be fixed at different heights by way of a locking pin, whereby the locking pin must be introduced into one of the multiple grooves running around the first bottle partial guide element.
Embodiments are also know however wherein the connecting elements are firmly bonded, i.e. welded, to the partial guide elements concerned. In this case an exchange can only be effected by the complete bottle guide curve having to be exchanged.